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April 9, 2013

My life in Birmingham is nothing but a series of first. Fall. Winter. Friday nights. Weekends. Dinner with friends. Neighborhood. All a first. Living a long distance relationship with my husband. Definitely a first. Having one puppy at home as my companion. How we have come to rely on each other, the old pup and me. Another first. Which is quite nice knowing that at 16 years-old, he is giving me some precious last moments together.

Everything about settling here as been new and wonderful. I am exploring a lot on my own every chance I get. I have also started a little fun side notebook in which I jot down the places I want to discover as a first with Bill and not just on my own. They can be restaurants, parks, places...I just know him, and I know us, and I know how much more fun and meaningful it would be to do those as a couple.

Spring would definitely be one of the seasons I would want us to experience together here. But, we all know one cannot stop Mother Nature. It will be Summer before he moves here for good. I just have to find the right words, the most descriptive ones to tell him how gorgeous Birmingham is in the Spring. And it is. I know one can say "but it's the South! You know the South!" Yes. But it is a completely different South. One with seasons, tornadoes instead of hurricanes. One with a different past. One with a different food culture.

A series of first everywhere and all the time...

The first time I turn my favorite sponge cake recipe into Lemon Cakelets With Vanilla Bean Cream. The first time I add deep rich and robust olive oil (from the family batch) to Bittersweet Chocolate Pots de Creme.

Preheat oven to 350F and position a rack in the middle.
Sift together the flour mix or all purpose flour, cornstarch, lemon zest and sugar together.
In a stand mixer fitter with the wire whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until soft peaks.
Add the flour mix to the egg white and fold gently with a large spoon.
Spoon the batter, a couple of rounded tablespoons at a tie onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the cakelets are golden and puffed up.
Let cool completely before filling with the whipped cream

Filling:
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 vanilla bean

In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream and sugar until soft peaks. Cut the half vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds out with the back of a pairing knife. Add the seeds to the cream mixture and continue to whip until firmer peaks form.

Fill the cakelets with a couple of tablespoons of the vanilla cream and refrigerate until ready to eat.

Directions:Place 6 to 8 ramekins into a roasting pan and set aside. Preheat oven to 350F and position a rack in the center.In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the honey for 2-3 minutes.In the meantime, bring the milk and cream to a simmer in a large saucepan set over medium high heat. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate to the mixture. Slowly whisk until the chocolate is completely melted. (return over low heat if it needs a bit more heat to dissolve). Slowly pour the chocolate mixture over the egg yolks and honey, whisking constantly until both mixtures come together. Add the olive oil and stir briefly.Divide the chocolate batter evenly among the ramekins. Pour hot water into the roasting pan so that it reaches halfway up the sides of the dishes. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the cream appears just set. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before eating.Garnish with chopped pistachios and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Both of these recipes look devine. I love anything lemony. What kind of texture are these cakeletes? Spongy, crumply, crispy? I would add more lemon in the cream to get more zing. ;) thanks for sharing.

Welcome to Birmingham!!! I was born and raised here and absolutely love it! After living in CA for the last 11 years, it was pure heaven to move back home where I belong!!! Hope you'll start feeling that way too soon!!!

when my husband accepted a position in the panhandle of florida a few years back, our girls and i stayed behind to pack and get things together for the move (plus finishing out the school year). my father was in the military, so we moved from time to time and although it was sad leaving behind old friends and familiarities, i was always excited about the 'new.' this time, i found such comfort knowing my girls were with me, and when i moved as a girl, my family was with me. i also know how much our family pets are FAMILY and i'm happy that you have yours as a loving, familiar companion. though...i can't imagine you would have any problems making friends;) btw...yes, love the recipes and extra love the plates they are on. yes, i am a prop junkie;) xo

hahaha my son is having a long distance relationship with a gal in the UK!! she makes a Victoria sponge cake all the time, I was so intrigued with her cakes that I used her recipe and made them into whoppie pies, this recipe reminded me of the ones I make, the only difference is I put raspberry jam on them too...

I keep seeing the pairing of chocolate and olive oil together and keep being more and more intrigued! The only time I've had olive oil drizzled on a sweet was at the Bi-Rite creamery in San Francisco. They have this amazing sundae that has chocolate sauce and blood orange-infused olive oil drizzled over it with some sea salt sprinkled on top. Sounds kinda crazy, but it was the tastiest sundae I've ever had.

But yes, the olive oil and chocolate pots de creme are going on my to-make list. Love that creamy whipped texture :)

Having recently relocated myself, I can totally relate to all of the exciting 'firsts' and the even more exciting thoughts of sharing them with those you love.. Thank you for this lovely post.. the recipes and photographs are exquisite!

Having recently relocated myself, I can totally relate to all of the exciting 'firsts' and the even more exciting thoughts of sharing them with those you love.. Thank you for this lovely post.. the recipes and photographs are exquisite!

I know that you likely hear this all the time but I really wanted to drop you a quick line to say how much I love your book and what a difference it has made in my photography. You have taken me from horrendous to emerging amateur and I truly appreciate it.

The Lemon Cakelets with Vanilla Bean Cream look so sweet, I am planning to make them for my little sister's rehearsal dinner. Just a quick question, for the filling, it just says 1/2 vanilla bean; is this 1/2 a tsp?

Maybe a silly question but: when the pot de creme are removed from the heat, should they be left in the water bath (or taken out and set on the counter)? They look delicious and I don't want to mess them up :)